Rollerskating has proven to be an extremely popular and long lasting sport and amusement activity through the years. Rollerskating is enjoyed extensively among virtually all children and adults. In the early versions of rollerskates, the typical structure included a foot supporting platform which in turn supported a pair of transversely oriented axles each supporting a pair of freely rolling wheels yielding a stable rectangular arrangement of skate wheels for each skate. Rollerskates have been provided using structures which attach to the wearer's shoe through a clamping arrangement and in shoeskate versions in which a dedicated shoe or boot is integrally secured to the skating platform.
In recent years, a different structure of rollerskate has emerged in which the rolling wheels are supported in an in-line arrangement rather than the rectangular arrangement of earlier skates. This in-line skate has provided a skating action which is somewhat like ice-skating and, at the same time, somewhat like rollerskating.
In both types of rollerskates, the shoe portion resembles a high boot adapted to receive the wearer's foot and a mechanism such as lacing, multiple buckles or hook and loop fabric attachments which permit the boot to be opened to receive the foot and tightened to secure the skate to the wearer's foot.
Manufacturers of childrens' toy dolls often find successful products can be achieved by facilitating a doll action which mimics the actual activities of children and adults. In the case of rollerskates, this situation has proven to be extremely successful. Doll manufacturers have provided a great variety of dolls which either skate alone or which can be fitted with rollerskates and manipulated by the child user. The recent emergence of in-line skates has been mirrored in the skating dolls provided by manufacturers.
Several problems, however, are encountered when employing both conventional rectangular arranged rollerskates and in-line rollerskates for use on dolls. One problem is found in the assembly or attachment of the rollerskate to the doll. In essence, doll's feet and ankles are seldom sufficiently articulated to move into a shoe receptacle in the manner achieved by actual human wearers. Another problem arises out of the ever present need to maximize the play value or excitement which all toys including skating dolls are subjected to.
In their desire to provide a successful rollerskating doll, practitioners in the art have developed a great number of skating dolls and skates for use therewith. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,790,423 issued to Hooks sets forth a ROLLERSKATE in which a conventional rollerskate includes at least one wheel equipped with an abrasive outer disk. A flint support member comprises an elongated spring metal structure supported in a nonrotating fashion to urge a pair of conventional flints against the abrasive disk. As the skater skates, the disk rotates with the skate wheel against the flints and provides a sparking action.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,051,000 issued to Heppner sets forth an SIREN EQUIPPED ROLLERSKATE in which an otherwise conventional rollerskate supports a siren sound producing element having a rotating drive wheel coupled thereto. The siren unit is pivotally supported proximate the rear skates wheels and is movable to engage the drive wheel thereof with the rotating skate wheels and energize the siren unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,788 issued to Vislocky sets forth a SPARKING ATTACHMENT FOR ROLLERSKATE in which an abrasive disk is supported upon the interior vertical surface of a skate wheel. An axle attachment mechanism is secured to the skate axle proximate the abrasive disk and supports an extending flint which is forced against the abrasive disk to provide sparking action during skating.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,806 issued to Bergstein sets forth an ROLLER SKATING SPARK GENERATOR having an auxiliary rolling wheel supporting an abrasive drum therebetween. The rolling wheel is supported just above the plane of the skate wheels and a resilient flint support urges a flint against the abrasive drum. The auxiliary wheel and abrasive drum remain motionless and removed from the skate surface until the skater pivots his or her heel upwardly raising the toe wheels of the skate and engaging the auxiliary wheels to rotate the drum against the flint and produce sparks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,502 issued to Bakerman sets forth an ILLUMINATIVE SKATE WHEEL rotatably mounted upon a skate axle and having illumination means enclosed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,037 issued to Kuntz sets forth an SPARK GENERATING ROLLERSKATE ASSEMBLY having a pair of abrasive disks supported upon the interior surfaces and inwardly facing therefrom of a pair of skate wheels. A flint support extends downwardly between the skate wheels and includes a pair of outwardly extending flint members which engage the abrasive disks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,610 issued to Hegyi sets forth LIGHT EMITTING ROLLERSKATE WHEELS in which a permanent magnet is fixed upon a rollerskate proximate one of the rotating skate wheels. An inductively powered lamp is supported within the skate wheel and is energized to illuminate the lamp as the inductive portion thereof passes through the magnetic field of the permanent magnet during skating.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,407 issued to Salvo sets forth a PYROTECHNIC DEVICE FOR A SKATEBOARD in which a plurality of pyrotechnic members are supported upon the rear portion of a skateboard in a downwardly extending manner. The pyrotechnic elements are abraded by the underlying surface such as pavement or the like during skateboard operation to produce sparks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,058 issued to Olson sets forth a HUB AND BRAKE ASSEMBLY FOR IN-LINE ROLLER SKATE in which a foot receiving shoe and skate assembly are combined to support a plurality of rolling skate wheels in an in-line arrangement. A brake member is supported upon the rear portion of the wheel support mechanism and extends downwardly to provide a high friction braking member.
While the foregoing described prior art rollerskates and rollerskating dolls have in some cases enjoyed commercial success and improved the state of the art for skating dolls, there remains a continuing need for evermore improved and exciting rollerskates and methods of assembly therefor.